39,327
edits
Ontological Inertia: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
m (Mass update links) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 15:
== Anime & Manga ==
* Used in ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro
** And in the ''Kai'' finale, {{spoiler|averted entirely}}.
* A defining trope of ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]''. When a person's existence is eaten by a Rinne, they are gone but replaced by a "Torch", who acts as a shock absorber; they look the same, and even have the original's memories. As their flame burns out over time, their presence and impact on the world lessens - they become apathetic and do little, people overlook them - until they disappear completely. When this happens, no one remembers them, and it is as though they never had existed, ever. [[Fridge Horror|This happens all the time.]]
Line 28:
== Literature ==
* The plot of Terry Pratchett's ''[[Discworld
** To clarify, even the History Monks aren't sure why the Disc's history seems to keep the same general shape in spite of various things messing with time. Some ideas include the [[Theory of Narrative Causality]] (the [[Trope Namer]]) and the Historical Imperative, which appears to be equal parts this trope and [[Incredibly Lame Pun|a pun on Kant]].
*** The Discworld books also bring up the alrady-discussed concept of "steam engine time", which shows that human society tends to avert [[No Plans No Prototypes No Backup]] (i.e., if Thomas Savery hadn't invented the steam pump, one of his contemporaries who were working on the same subject would have patented roughly the same thing, and [[In Spite of a Nail|history might have been back on track]] just in time for James Watt to make the engine efficient enough to use portably, and no [[For Want of a Nail|boiling-over tea kettle]] need be involved).
Line 44:
== Tabletop Games ==
* The ''[[Dragonlance]]'' Saga even uses the stone in a time-stream example. You cannot do anything to severely change the future, unless you are a [[Spanner in
Line 50:
* Spoilers for the [[Infocom]] [[Interactive Fiction]] game ''Trinity'': {{spoiler|After successfully stopping the Trinity test of the first A-bomb (which would apparently destroy most of New Mexico), a mysterious voice explains that since the history that produced your [[AFGNCAAP|character]] depends on atomic weapons, reality will arrange for ''smaller'' explosions to occur ''every time a nuclear weapon is supposed to detonate'' from then on. Smaller meaning nukes as we know them.}}
* Mentioned in [[Shadow of Destiny]] (aka ''Shadow of Memories''). {{spoiler|It's ultimately revealed to be the driving force behind the entire story.}}
* The conclusion of ''[[
* In [[Command and
** It's implied that the Einstein that did the erasing will not see any changes. All he has done is create a divergent timeline which exists simultaneously with ours. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go back to his lab in 1946.
* [[Ontological Inertia]] is such a strong force in the ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series that the titular vampire spends most of his immortal life looking for a way to [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong|thwart it]] at a [[Take a Third Option|key point]] in his past. This is the origin of Kain's memorable "edge of the coin" speech:
| |||